Flooring board with an embeded electrically influenced sheet

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a flooring board with groove ( 8 ) and tongue ( 10 ) and composed of a covering layer ( 2 ), a base plate ( 3 ), and between them an embedded foil ( 4 ) provided with electric connecting means located at the grooves and tongues for obtaining an effect upon the foil conditioned by a connected electric voltage. When joining a number of known flooring boards side by side it is necessary that the electric connection means are positioned exactly in line. According to the invention, an increased freedom is obtained with respect to the mutual position of the flooring boards. This is obtained due to the fact, that a first common connecting means ( 7 ) of the foil is positioned on the under side of the groove ( 8 ) and via a line ( 11 ) also on the upper side of the tongue ( 10 ). Moreover, a second common connecting means ( 9 ) is positioned on the under side of the tongue ( 10 ) and via a line ( 13 ) also, on the upper side of the groove ( 8 ). The common connecting means ( 7,9 ) of the foil may suitably extend all along the lengths of the respective grooves ( 8 ) and tongues ( 10 ).

The invention relates to a flooring board with groove and tongue jointsor similar joints to adjacent, identical flooring boards and composed ofat least one covering layer, a base plate supporting the covering layer,and between them an embedded sheet provided with electric connectingmeans attached to the grooves and tongues for obtaining an effect uponthe sheet conditioned by a connected electric voltage.

A flooring board of this type is previously suggested in the SE0203343-9, which relates to a flooring heated by an embedded heatingfoil. Connecting means to the heating foil are extended by pairs on eachside of the flooring board at several places along the length of theflooring board. In this way it is possible to supply an electric currentfrom flooring board to flooring board such, that all the floor becomesuniformly heated. It is a condition, however, that the flooring boardsbecome mounted mutually in exactly correct position lengthwise, suchthat the connecting means at grooves and tongues become positioned inline. This is no problem when the flooring boards have standard lengths,but as soon as cutting-off of the standard lengths takes place,displacements will easily occur such that electrical interruptions are afact all over the floor. This is usually not observed until all thefloor is finished, in which case the interruption is difficult to locateand repair.

The object of the invention is to achieve an improved electricconnection between flooring boards for heating the floor as well as forother purposes, to electrically influence the embedded sheet or acorresponding foil, for example by using electro-chromatic orthermo-chromatic material in the sheet or foil to achieve lightingeffects or colour changes in the sheet or foil influenced by theelectricity or by heat generated by the electricity.

This has, according to the invention, been achieved by the fact, that inthe above mentioned flooring board the one type of connecting means ofthe sheet is located on the under side of the groove and via a line alsoon the upper side of the tongue, and the other type of connecting meansis located on the under side of the tongue and via a line also on theupper side of the groove. In this way both sides of the grooves andtongues are utilized in a way, that permits mutually connected flooringboards to be displaced lengthwise without a negative influence on theelectric contact between the flooring boards. The connecting means ofthe foil can in fact without interruptions extend along all the lengthof the respective groove and tongue. Moreover, a connection in parallelis achieved by the electric connections of the different flooringboards.

The floor-laying may preferably be completed by using a connectionmember connected to a voltage source, which connection member has theshape of lath with a suitable width and a height equal to the thicknessof the flooring board, and a tongue protruding into a groove of theflooring board, or a groove into which o tongue of the flooring boardprotrudes.

The invention is disclosed more in detail in the following withreference to the attached drawing schematically showing an embodiment ofa flooring board according to the invention, and on which FIG. 1 is anend view of the flooring board and a cross section of an electricconnection member, FIG. 2 a plan view of two flooring boards prior totheir sliding together, and FIG. 3 is a cross section of an alternativeconnection member.

FIG. 1 discloses the flooring board 1, which is composed of a coveringlayer 2 in the shape of a laminated plastic, and a base plate 3 made ofwood supporting the covering layer. A heating foil 4 is embedded betweenthe covering layer 2 and the base plate 3, for the sake of clarity shownon the drawing with an interspace between the different objects. Thelongitudinal edge parts of the heating foil are designed such, thatelectric connecting lines 5 may be attached at fixed intervals incontact with the active parts of the heating foil, and in the samemanner connecting lines 6 can be attached at fixed intervals on theopposite side of the heating foil. The connecting lines 5 are connectedto a common connecting means 7, which extends along the under side of agroove 8 of the flooring board, and the connecting lines 6 are connectedto a common connecting means 9, indicated by a dot-dash line, whichextends along the under side of a tongue 10. Further, lines 11,indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2, extend from the common connectingmeans 7 to a common connecting means 12, which extends along the upperside of the tongue 10 of the flooring board. Moreover, lines 13,indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2, extend from the common connectingmeans 9 to a common connecting means 14, indicated by a dot-dash line,which extends along the upper side of the groove 8.

A voltage can be supplied to the common connecting means 7 and 14 or 9and 12, for instance by a connection member 20, to the right in FIG. 1,in the shape of a lath 21 provided with a tongue 22 on which twoterminal contacts 23,24 are attached connected to a voltage source bytwo connection wires 25,26. This connection member is intended to besecured to the flooring board 1 by pressing the tongue 22 into thegroove 8. The heating foil 4 then is supplied with a voltage, and ifadditional flooring boards 1 are connected, which is suggested in FIG. 2with an additional flooring board, the heating foils of these flooringboards will be supplied with the same voltage due to the contact betweenthe common connecting means 9 and 12 on the tongue of the flooring board1 and corresponding common connecting means of the groove of adjacentflooring board, and so on.

As an alternative, the voltage may be supplied by a connection member 30shown in FIG. 3 consisting of a lath 31 with the same height as thethickness of the flooring board 1 and provided with a groove 32 in whichtwo terminal contacts 33,34 are attached connected to a voltage source,not shown, by two connection wires 35,36. The connection member isdesigned to be connected to the flooring board by pressing the tongue 10into the groove 32.

In the example shown a DC-voltage is utilized and the different linesare indicated by plus and minus signs to make it easier to understandthe electric wiring, but it goes without saying that it is possible asan alternative to use an AC-voltage. It is obvious, that the flooringboards may be laterally displaced without interruptions of the voltagesupply. A flooring board may also be cut off to fit the position of awall 27, as shown in FIG. 2, as long as a part of the flooring boardremains with a pair of lines 11,13.

The above description concerning heating foils is valid also withrespect to embedded material layers with corresponding properties andalso when using a material layer or a foil containing electro-chromaticmaterial, i.e. a layer or foil which is treated to change character,mainly colour but also transparency or similar properties, in dependenceon the magnitude of a connected voltage. This is also valid with respectto a layer or foil containing thermo-chromatic material, i.e. a layer orfoil which is treated to change character as described above independence on the temperature of the layer or foil, which temperature isregulated by a suitable combination with an electrically regulatedheating foil. A floor may of course be provided completely or partlywith flooring boards with layers or foils of one of the two kinds orboth kinds, in which case the common connecting means in advance areprovided with interruptions, which result in the intended voltage supplyof only the intended, different parts of the floor.

1. Flooring board (1) with groove (8) and tongue (10) joints or similarjoints to adjacent, identical flooring boards and comprising at leastone covering layer (2), a base plate (3) supporting the covering layer,and between them an embedded sheet (4) provided with electric connectingmeans attached to the grooves and tongues for obtaining an effect uponthe sheet conditioned by a connected electric voltage, wherein one typeof connecting means (7) of the sheet (4)is located on the under side ofthe groove (8) and via a line (11) also on the upper side of the tongue(10), and the other type of connecting means (9) is located on the underside of the tongue (10) and via a line (13) also on the upper side ofthe groove (8).
 2. Flooring board according to claim 1, wherein theconnecting means (7,9) of the sheet extend along the entire length ofthe respective grooves (8) and tongues (101).
 3. Flooring boardaccording to claim 1, wherein a connection member (20) connected to avoltage source has the shape of a lath (21) with the same height as thethickness of the flooring board and a tongue (22) protruding into agroove (5) of the flooring board.
 4. Flooring board according to claim1, wherein a connection member (30) connected to a voltage source hasthe shape of a lath (31) with the same height as the thickness of theflooring board and a groove (32) into which a tongue (10) of theflooring board protrudes.
 5. Flooring board according to claim 1,wherein at least a part of the sheet comprises a heating sheet (4) forheating a floor.
 6. Flooring board according to claim 1, wherein atleast a part of the sheet (4) comprises electro-chromatic material withthe quality of being able to change characteristic feature, especiallycolour, when influenced by a connected voltage.
 7. Flooring boardaccording to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the sheet (4) comprisesa thermo-chromatic material influenced by a heating sheet, whichmaterial has the quality of being able to change characteristic feature,especially colour, when influenced by a temperature change caused by anelectric voltage supplied via the electric connecting means.
 8. Flooringboard according to claim 2, wherein a connection member (20) connectedto a voltage source has the shape of a lath (21) with the same height asthe thickness of the flooring board and a tongue (22) protruding into agroove (5) of the flooring board.
 9. Flooring board according to claim2, wherein a connection member (30) connected to a voltage source hasthe shape of a lath (31) with the same height as the thickness of theflooring board and a groove (32) into which a tongue (10) of theflooring board protrudes.
 10. Flooring board according to claim 2,wherein at least a part of the sheet comprises a heating sheet (4) forheating a floor.
 11. Flooring board according to claim 3, wherein atleast a part of the sheet comprises a heating sheet (4) for heating afloor.
 12. Flooring board according to claim 4, wherein at least a partof the sheet comprises a heating sheet (4) for heating a floor. 13.Flooring board according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of thesheet (4) comprises electro-chromatic material with the quality of beingable to change characteristic feature, especially colour, wheninfluenced by a connected voltage.
 14. Flooring board according to claim3, wherein at least a part of the sheet (4) comprises electro-chromaticmaterial with the quality of being able to change characteristicfeature, especially colour, when influenced by a connected voltage. 15.Flooring board according to claim 4, wherein at least a part of thesheet (4) comprises electro-chromatic material with the quality of beingable to change characteristic feature, especially colour, wheninfluenced by a connected voltage.
 16. Flooring board according to claim5, wherein at least a part of the sheet (4) comprises electro-chromaticmaterial with the quality of being able to change characteristicfeature, especially colour, when influenced by a connected voltage. 17.Flooring board according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of thesheet (4) comprises a thermo-chromatic material influenced by a heatingsheet, which material has the quality of being able to changecharacteristic feature, especially colour, when influenced by atemperature change caused by an electric voltage supplied via theelectric connecting means.
 18. Flooring board according to claim 3,wherein at least a part of the sheet (4) comprises a thermo-chromaticmaterial influenced by a heating sheet, which material has the qualityof being able to change characteristic feature, especially colour, wheninfluenced by a temperature change caused by an electric voltagesupplied via the electric connecting means.
 19. Flooring board accordingto claim 4, wherein at least a part of the sheet (4) comprises athermo-chromatic material influenced by a heating sheet, which materialhas the quality of being able to change characteristic feature,especially colour, when influenced by a temperature change caused by anelectric voltage supplied via the electric connecting means. 20.Flooring board according to claim 5, wherein at least a part of thesheet (4) comprises a thermo-chromatic material influenced by a heatingsheet, which material has the quality of being able to changecharacteristic feature, especially colour, when influenced by atemperature change caused by an electric voltage supplied via theelectric connecting means.
 21. Flooring board according to claim 6,wherein at least a part of the sheet (4) comprises a thermo-chromaticmaterial influenced by a heating sheet, which material has the qualityof being able to change characteristic feature, especially colour, wheninfluenced by a temperature change caused by an electric voltagesupplied via the electric connecting means.